Toddle About Blog

Reviews

From the moment I opened the package I was blown away by the amazing quality of the Hape Teepee Tent from the printed canvas fabric to the sturdy wooden poles. I was a little nervous when I saw the instructions but it was super easy to put together and I was able to do it by myself so no need for an extra set of hands.

As soon as I had put the tent up in the garden my son who is 18 months old couldn’t wait to play in it. He was in and out, opening the tent up then closing it and playing peek a boo out of the window. It’s great to use out in the garden when the sun is out and children need a little shade, it also makes a great addition to a playroom or child’s bedroom and it will encourage their imagination and inspire them to role play.

My son is going to get so much use out of this for many years to come.

The Kit & Kin brand is marketed to appeal to those concerned with the environment, allergens and clothing longevity. The All-in-one markets at £21.99 for one suit and is available in 4 size options between 0 and 18 months. There are 6 pattern designs with gender neutral and muted palettes to appeal to a wide spectrum of people. The design incorporates fold over cuffs at the hand and feet for versatility, and includes a central popper fastening system.

I requested the 12-18 month size suit for my daughter; she is 7 months old, and as my regularly used brands come up too short for her comfort necessitating this size, upon checking the size guide this appeared necessary with this brand. It arrived with minimal, simple packaging that clearly highlighted the brand and it’s ethos; I liked the lack of plastic that most clothing typically is swamped in; easier to open and does make you feel better about recycling. The suit mirrored the fit of other brands and the fastening mechanism worked fine. The fold over cuff design was easy to use and effective, yet appeared to limit foot space in this instance. I liked the design which had a pale multi-coloured pattern that looked pleasant and received compliments from family. The suit did appear superior in quality; softness and Continue reading →

We were given the chance to review the Johnson’s Baby Cottontouch Bundle which included a 2-in-1 Bath Wash, Face & Body Lotion, Hair & Scalp Oil and a Pack of Extra Sensitive Wipes.

The 2-in-1 Bath Wash is lovely, you only need to use a small amount in the water to get lot’s of lather which I think it great as it is going to last us a long time, also, I have used this on one of my sons that suffers from eczema and this hasn’t irritated him at all.

The wipes are lovely and thick and smell really nice and again, there has been no irritation whatsoever when using them. Continue reading →

We were chosen to review the Organix Goodies Bundle which contained Strawberry and Apple Jammie Monsters (suitable for 18mth+), Mini Gingerbread Men Biscuits (suitable for 12mth+) and Raspberry and Apple Soft Oaty Bars (suitable for 12mth+), I have a two children, a daughter aged 3 years and a son aged 8 years and both of them have tried all of these products and here are our thoughts on them:

Mini Gingerbread Men Biscuits:These were loved by my little girl and were perfect for taking out for snacks on the go. She didn’t always manage to eat the whole packet as there was a lot in them but they are a perfect size for little fingers. Continue reading →

I was recently lucky enough to receive two lovely children’s books to share with my children, Easy Peasy: Gardening for Kids and Six Little Birds.

The first thing that caught my girls attention were the bright and vivid colours in each book! My eldest, who’s 4, loved the Easy Peasy: Gardening for Kids book with its bright illustrations and easy to follow instructions. We have already made a seed pot from newspaper and planted sunflowers which are sprouting as we speak. It’s full of lots of good ideas to get kids in the garden growing everything from flowers to spring onions and even their own terrarium! Most activities would need adult supervision / help but this will decrease with the age of the child. Continue reading →

We loved this picture book about a child with a pet dragon whose fire has gone out. The story covers the methods you might use to get the fire going again; it is a simple enough story but with a lot happening on each page for my four year old to think about and ideas we haven’t come across in a book before. The ideas and jokes in the story are surprising and funny which makes the book feel fresh and entertaining (to me as well as my son!) and it ends with a lovely positive message.

I asked my son what he thought of the book and he said ‘I like the spiky bits on his back and when he was a baby and chasing burglars, and the sparkling fire and the bit where it says ‘now you’re cooking’ which gives you an idea of the variety of things that go on, even in a short story! Continue reading →

We were chosen to review the Mountain Warehouse Jacket which we found to be a very practical and stylish jacket which our boy looked absolutely handsome in.

The jacket is very lightweight yet completely waterproof, making it perfect for those rainy day walks with the pooch or the dreaded school run. Despite it being a jacket, I would suggest dressing your little one in a hoodie or something similar underneath as it’s not at all thick to keep them warm during the colder months.

We didn’t find The jacket to be too big or too long for our little on the arms or back which was a bonus as he is a little on the ‘big ‘side however this may be something to think about if your little one is a tad on the ‘small side’. We loved the roll up hood which tucked away nicely in the neckline as you then have a choice of having the hood In or out. The zip is very good and is unlikely to get stuck or break on you and the jacket comes with outside side pockets which are deep enough to store gloves.

We chose the Khaki design as it appealed most to us but I would have preferred more of a choice but overall we are really happy with the garment and can see our little one making the most of it and getting plenty of wear out of it.

Both my son, who’s two, and I suffer from dry skin with occasional outbreaks of eczema. I’ve tried many different products in the past to relieve it, including prescription items. I’ve used a couple of different Aveeno products with success in the past, but had never tried anything from the baby range. As my son had recently began to get dry skin again, particularly on his legs and face, this was a great opportunity to try out the Aveeno Dermexa Daily Emollient Cream and Goodnight Emollient Balm and see if they made a difference to his skin.

We applied the emollient cream after his bath each night. The texture was nice and light, easy to apply and absorbed almost instantly. Even after one night I noticed how much softer his skin had become, and over the next couple of days the dryness had gone. I also noticed that it made my sore itchy hands very smooth and comfortable, so I began using it as a hand cream and it really has made a difference, I found it very soothing and the angry red patches have virtually disappeared!

I then used the goodnight balm on specific patches of eczema on both of us. It was thicker than the cream, so a little went a long way and it really seemed to calm down the redness on my son’s face. Continue reading →

Out of the box, this monitor is a simple plug and go system with the camera just needing to be plugged in using one of the micro USB cables provided. You do have to fully charge the monitor before use though, which is a bit of a pain as there appears to be no clear indication of when this is charge is complete, it took about 45 minutes before it appeared to be fully charged.

Once charged, the monitor is really intuitive to use and has some good features such as sound alert, two-way talk and zoom. One of the best features is that you can move the camera remotely using the monitor – handy if you have a baby that likes to roll around the cot like mine does! With the video on at all times (you can also put it on a sleep mode to turn off the screen after a set time) the monitor lasted around 6 hours before it needed charging again. Continue reading →

We recently got the chance to visit Whipsnade Zoo, and to experience their latest attraction, The Great Brick Safari, which is a must see for any lego enthusiasts! They have about 20 life size animals, including lions, giraffes and an elephant, made entirely from Lego, which in itself are amazing to see, and each exhibit has interesting information about the animals, and also about how many bricks and how long it took to build each one. The guides who showed us around the lego brick safari were very friendly and enthusiastic and told us lots of interesting facts about the animals. The children particularly enjoyed seeing how big an elephant poo was!

The other fun attraction which is part of the brick safari, is a mini-jeep safari ride. The jeeps are miniature size landrovers and the children can drive them independently around a track which has various terrains to cross through such as sand, stones, grass and even water. This is at an extra cost (£5 per child) to the brick safari, which is included in the entry price to the zoo, but the children really enjoyed it! Continue reading →